Boat beach apparatus



y 1961 R. 6. LE TOURNEAU 2,991,750

BOAT BEACH APPARATUS Filed June 1, 1959 CONTROLLER /5/ TO POWER SOURCEINVENTOR.

9h. W A fiffmwey United States v My invention relates to boat beachapparatus and more particularly to apparatus for aiding a boat or shipin moving on or off a beach.

Shallow draft cargo vessels of a type designed to load and unload on abeach are well known. However, such vessels often encounter difficultyin moving into a favorable unloading position onto the beach and also inmoving oil? the beach after loading or unloading. Various apparatus andarrangements have been devised in the prior art of which I am aware toaid such vessels in moving on or E a beach, but none of these haveproven to be entirely satisfactory.

It is accordingly the general object of my invention to provide improvedapparatus and arrangement for aiding a vessel in moving on or off abeach.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved apparatus of thetype above-mentioned, including powered outrigger pusher devices.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved mechanismandarrangement for handling said pusher devices above-mentioned.

' These and other objects are effected by my invention as will beapparent from the following description taken in accordance with theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a single pusher device inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the device of FIG. 1, partially in section, andshowing in phantom a portion of a boat or vessel on which the device maybe mounted;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1shown in the carry position on a vessel;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevational view of the device of FIG. 3shown in position for moving the vessel off a beach;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevational view of the device of FIG. 3shown in position for moving the vessel onto a beach;

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 3, showing both pusher devicesin the carry position; and,

FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating an electric controlsystem for the pusher devices.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the arrangement inaccordance with one embodiment of my invention includes a pair ofpowered outrigger pusher devices 11 mounted at transversely alignedpositions at opposite sides of a boat, ship, or vessel 13. The pusherdevices are preferably located about halfway between the middle and theprow of the vessel. Each pusher device comprises a gear reduction 15driven by an electric motor 17. The gear reduction 15 is fixed to theship structure in any suitable manner, and has an output shaft 19 whichextends outwardly beyond the vessel side and in the directiontransversely of the vessel longitudinal axis.

Each pusher device 11 also includes a pusher leg 21 and a pusher legsupport carriage 23. The support carriage includes a pair of parallelspaced heavy plate side members 25 journaled at their central upper endportions on the gear reduction output shaft 19 by means of conventionalbearings 27 and held on the shaft by an end plate 29 which is secured tothe shaft end by means of bolts 31. The carriage 23 also includes a pairof pusher leg support rollers 33 and four guide rollers 35. The pusherleg 21 is in the form of a beam made up of a base member 37, sidemembers 39, and a rack 41. The

beam cross-section has the general shape of a truncated isoscelestriangle with the base member 37 forming the base, the side members 39,the sides, and rack 41 at the apex region. The base member extendsoutwardly beyond the side members to form flanges 43. The side membersare fixed by Welding to the rack and the base member. The rack ispositioned so that a plane passing through the rack teeth andlongitudinally bisecting the rack 41 is also a longitudinalperpendicular bisector of the base member 37.

The pusher leg support rollers 33 are journalled on the lower portionsof the carriage side plates 25 with their axis of rotation parallel tothat of the gear reduction output shaft 19 and equidistant from same.The outer surface of the pusher leg base member 37 is engaged by thesaid support rollers 33. The gear reduction output shaft 19 has anoutput pinion 45 centered thereon and in engagement with the pusher legrack teeth. The carriage guide rollers 35 are journallcd on the carriageside plates 25 in axially aligned pairs which engage the flanges 43 ofthe pusher leg base member 37 on the side opposite the support rollers33. Each pusher leg 21 is provided a foot portion 47 at each endthereof. The foot in each case may be a flat plate centered on and fixedwith suitable bracing to the pusher leg end with a fiat plate beingtrans verse with respect to the pusher leg longitudinal axis.

Each gear reduction electric drive motor 17 is equipped with anelectromagnetic friction disc brake 49 of a type which is automaticallyreleased when the motor is energized andengaged when the motor isde-energized. The motors 17 are connected through a conventional typecontroller 51 to a suitable power source. The motors may be operatedsimultaneously from a single controller, or they may be operatedindependently from separate controllers.

Since the pusher leg support carriage 23 is journalled on the gearreduction output shaft 19, the support carriage as well as the pusherleg is free to rotate or swing on the output shaft 19. When the feet 47of the pusher leg 21 are equidistant from the drive pinion 45, thepusher leg 21 and carriage 23 will balance with the leg longitudinalaxis horizontal. Since the pusher leg 21 is suspended or supported bythe carriage 23 below the output shaft 19, then when the pusher leg ismoved a given distance olf center, that is, so that one foot 47 isfurther from the drive pinion 45 than the other, then the pusher legwill balance at a definite angle with respect to the horizontal. Thedistance from the center of the output shaft (carriage pivot shaft) tothe leg and carriage transverse center of gravity is chosen so that withthe distance from a foot which is to engage the beach bottom to thedrive pinion being such that the foot extends to about the level of thevessel bottom, the pusher leg and carriage is balanced, with the legmaking a desirable angle with respect to the horizontal. For goodlifting and pushing action, the balance angle (the angle between thepusher longitudinal axis and the horizontal) for the conditions abovestated, preferably should be in the range of 40 to 50 degrees. Suitablemeans (not shown) are provided to secure the pusher legs againstpivoting movement when they are not 1n use.

In operation, assume that it is desired to beach the vessel. First, theforward end of the vessel is run aground onto the beach. Then the pusherlegs are driven in the rearward direction sulficiently so that theyassume a desirable balance angle just out of contact with bottom, andthen they are driven into contact with the bottom, thus applying lifingforces to the vessel forward end and also thrusting it forward furtheronto the beach. When the pusher legs have been fully extended, they canif desired be retracted and the process repeated until the vessel hasprogressed the desired distance up onto the beach. To get 01f the beach,the pusher legs are driven in the forward direction until they assumethe proper balance angle just out of contact with the bottom, and thenthey are driven into contact with the bottom, thus applying lifingforces to the vessel forward end and also thrusting it in the rearwarddirection oit the beach. The pusher legs can be retracted and theprocess repeated as required. The pusher legs can be used in a similarmanner to move the vessel oft" sand bars.

While I have shown my invention in only one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleto various changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof.

l claim:

'1. Apparatus for aiding a ship to move on or oil a beach, saidapparatus comprising, a pair of pusher members each in the form of arigid beam having gear teeth extending longitudinally thereof, andhaving an enlarged foot portion at each end thereof; a pair of gearreductions each having an output shaft, with an output pinion fixed tosaid shaft, said gear reductions being fixed to said ship at oppositesides thereof with their respective output shafts extending outwardlyover the ships side; a carriage jour nalled on each said output shaft,each said carriage including means for supporting a respective pushermember beneath said respective output shaft for longitudinalreciprocable movement, with said output pinion engaging the gear teethof a respective pusher member; and means for driving said gearreductions to control the longitudinal position of said respectivepusher members;

2. Apparatus for aiding a ship to move on or ofl a beach, said apparatuscomprising, a pusher member in the form of a rigid beam having gearteeth extending longitudinally thereof, and having an enlarged footportion at each end thereof; a gear reduction having an output shaft,with an output pinion fixed to said shaft, said gear reduction beingfixed to said ship with said output pinion extending outwardly beyondthe ship hull; a carriage journalled on said output shaft, said carriageincluding means for supporting said pusher member beneath said outputshaft for longitudinal reciprocable movement, with said output pinionengaging the gear teeth of said pusher member; and means for drivingsaid gear reduction to control the longitudinal position of said pushermember.

3. Apparatus for aiding a ship to move on or off a beach, said apparatuscomprising a pusher member in the form of a rigid beam having anenlarged foot at each end thereof; structure supporting said member forlongitudinal reciprocable movement; means mounting said structure forpivoting movement in a vertical plane about an axis extendingtransversely of said ship, with said pusher member suspended beneathsaid axis, and means for driving said pusher member in either of itslongitudinal directions. 4. Apparatus for aiding a ship to move on oroff a beach, said apparatus comprising a pusher member in the form of arigid beam rack having an enlarged foot at each end thereof; structuresupporting said member for longitudinal reciprocable movement; meansmounting said structure for pivoting movement in a vertical plane aboutan axis extending transversely of said ship, with said pusher membersuspended beneath said axis, and means including an output pinion inmesh with said rack for driving said pusher member in either of itslongitudinal directions.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FranceNov, 10, 1824

